






ST. LAWRENCE 
RIVER 

ANDTHE 

THOUSAND 
ISLANDS 



HISTORY 

AN D 



LEGENDS 




ST. LAWRENCE RIVER 

AND THE 

THOUSAND ISLANDS 



HISTORY AND LEGENDS 
By Richard Cough] in 



Copyright by Santway Photo-Craft 
Company Inc. Watertown, N. Y. 

- 110,0- 






©CI,A608359 
JUL 22 1920 






H 



^ HISTORY OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS 

"^ The great highway of the north and west during the 
^ decades when the early French explorers, missionaries, 
li^ colonizers and traders were searching out an lanknown 
continent, the St. Lawrence River, trade artery and sum- 
mer playground, is rich In historic incidents and legends. 
Across it has swept the tide of contending empires In the 
long struggle between white races for dominance In the 
new world, just as the Indian tribes and nations had 
made it debatable territory for centuries before the coming 
of the palefaces. 

Indians of the Algonquin tribes of the north and 
Iroquois of the Five Nations to the south of Lake Ontario 
first used the river for hunting and fishing excursions and 
frequent war expeditions. When Cartier, de la Roque, 
Champlain and their hardy soldiers, sailors and traders 
established the first trading settlements on the lower St. 
Lawrence they were told of the mighty stream whose 
length was measured In terms of days, and beyond that 
river were vast expanses of fresh water leading to regions 
of which the Indians knew'llttle more than campfire 
legends. •- 

Jacques Cartier 

It was Jacques Cartier whose explorations of the, lower 
St. Lawrence with two vessels In 1534 are first recorded, 
though Cartier believed that he found evidence and talk 



among Indians of previous explorations by Spaniards who 
were disappointed in their search for mines or other 
riches. For years previous the waters about Newfound- 
land and the islands at the mouth of the St. Lawrence 
had been frequented by Breton, Norman and Basque cod- 
fishermen — according to tradition even before Columbus 
discovered the islands of the West Indies in 1492. In 
the next year Cartier returned and on the lOth day of 
August landed on the shores of a bay in the lower river, 
which bay he named St. Lawrence in honor of that saint's 
day. The river has taken its name from the bay named 
for the Spanish saint. 

Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence as far as Quebec, 
and later visited the present site of Montreal, where a 
great Iroquois Indian camp was found. The winter was 
passed at a camp constructed near Quebec, a winter of 
great privations and disease which took heavy toll of the 
adventurous band. In 1536 the explorers returned to 
France without finding that passage to the Indies so much 
desired, or the illusory land of gold and rubies and wealth 
described by the crafty Indians. 

Francis de la Rogue 

In 1542 Francis de la Roque, with a commission from 
King Francis First of France, sailed up the St. Lawrence 
and founded a station between Quebec and Montreal, 
or Hochelaga, as the Indians called their ancient meeting 
place, and site of a fortified village of an Iroquois tribe. 
( 4 ) 



It was at the river of Cap Rouge, the same place where 
Cartier and the men of his third expedition had spent the 
previous winter, under direction of de la Roque, who 
intended to follow the same year. Cartier held the title 
of Captain-General of the expedition of 1541, but w^ould 
not remain w^ith de la Roque when the latter arrived with 
more colonists the next year. Cartier returned to France. 
The first settlers experienced many hardships from un- 
friendly Indians, wild animals and sickness incident to 
poor provisions and a winter climate to which they were 
unaccustomed, with the result that these trading posts 
were abandoned and those who remained alive returned to 
France, or in a few cases men abandoned the life of the 
whites, and were adopted into Indian tribes. 

Not until the seventeenth century did any white man 
record the complete journey from Montreal to Lake 
Ontario, ^'beautiful lake" as it was interpreted in the 
Indian tongue. These dusky natives told many stories of 
the countless islands and broad waters ''ten days above the 
rapids that are near Montreal," as a grand-nephew of 
Cartier wrote in 1587. The lower reaches of the river 
from Montreal to the sea early bore the name St. Law- 
rence, but for decades the mighty stream of blue water 
flowing from Ontario to Montreal was called the "Great 
River." 

Samuel de Champlmn 
Champlain, the able governor-£xplorer of New^ France, 

( 5 ) 



himself recounted in detail the wonders of scenery, the 
Indian customs and laws and the possibilities of develop- 
ing the region to the spiritual and material benefit of the 
aboriginees as well as to the greater honor and glory of 
his native France and her children. Champlain was the 
first great explorer and exploiter of the region beyond 
Montreal, though historians disagree as to whether he 
ever made the complete journey through the St. Lawrence. 
For years he continued in personal contact with the chief- 
tans and visited the tribes from Lake Huron to Lake 
Champlain, which latter he discovered in 1609, and the 
former in 16 15. He became a great father to the north- 
ern Indians, counseling them in their troubles and dis- 
putes, and bringing them greater comforts and wiser pro- 
vision for the future through the influence of trade and 
commerce early established on a large scale at Montreal. 

In 1608 Champlain renewed the effort to found a 
permanent colony in New France, sailing up the St. Law- 
rence to the site of Quebec and building a fortified station 
on the land between the river's edge and the high rock 
which in later years became the stronghold of tiie lower 
river. Champlain also visited Hochelaga, the present site 
of Montreal which Cartier had visited seventy years be- 
fore, but Champlain found no trace of that heavily- 
stockaded Iroquois town — only a few families of the Al- 
gonquin Indians living in rude shelters. This was one year 
after Jamestown in Virginia was settled by that English 
company which endured so many hardships before relief 
( 6 ) 



came, and they were able to win a living from the soil 
and woods. 

Discovery of Ontario 

In 1 615 Champlain crossed the upper entrance to the 
St. Lawrence, at the mouth of Lake Ontario, with a war 
party of Hurons who had come down the Trent river 
and through the Bay of Quinte, bent on vengeance for 
past depredations of their ancient enemies, but kindred 
people, the Iroquois of central New York. In October 
of that year he landed on the south shore of Lake Ontario, 
near Henderson Bay, five years before the first white 
settlers landed on the Massachusetts coast and six years 
after the Dutch landed on Manhattan and sailed up the 
Hudson river. The expedition was not successful, and 
returned to spend many weeks in hunting game for the 
winter near the site of the present city of Kingston. It 
was not until the following year that Champlain was 
able to return to his settlements at Montreal and Quebec, 
as the Indians used various pretexts to keep their wise 
counselor with them throughout the cold months until 
spring loosened the ice in the northern rivers. Champlain 
passed the winter in the Huron country and returned by 
way of the Ottawa river. 

In following decades the St. Lawrence river saw an 
increasing flotilla of canoes, batteaux and galleys of the 
traders, explorers and zealous French missionaries pushing 
westward. Among the Thousand Islands the traders 

( 7 ) 



stopped to barter for pelts, the explorers gained informa- 
tion of the lakes and rivers of the west, and the mission- 
aries learned of the tribes and tongues of the new wards 
of old France. The Island region was a great store- 
house of food for the red men, who came in large 
numbers during the fall months to catch and dry oc smoke 
the pike, muscallonge, eel and sturgeon of these waters, 
returning to their winter encampments with heavily 
ladened conoes. The early missionaries and voyageurs 
remarked upon the varied beauty of Island scenery, the 
broad and narrow reaches of blue waters, and the great 
abundance of game and fish. "Les Mille Isles" or "Lake 
of the Thousand Islands" it was called by the French, 
and the English later used the same titles. 

The Indian Barrier 

Though Indians of the Algonquin and Huron tribes 
frequented the Thousand Island regions for hunting and 
fishing purposes, yet it was the northern rampart of that 
remarkable federation, the five nations of the Iroquois — 
later called the "Six Nations," when a kindred people, 
the Tuscaroras of the Carolinas, were admitted to mem- 
bership. Here the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cay- 
ugas and Senecas gathered for fishing, and expeditions to 
ths smaller beaver lakes lying inland a short distance on 
the south of the St. Lawrence. These hardy warriors, es- 
pecially the Mohawks, made frequent raids to the head- 
waters of the Ottawa river as well as to the foot of the 
( 8 ) 



rapids above Montreal, waylaying their enemies, killing 
and plundering, and never becoming subject to the French 
authority. Frequent truces were made, principally 
through the efforts of the intrepid missionaries, but these 
lasted for only a short period, and then again the war 
drums would sound, orators would carry the word from 
nation to nation of the central New York warriors, and 
again the forest trails would be full of painted savages 
seeking plunder and scalps. From the St. Lawrence to 
the Ohio river and from the Main woods to the Mississip- 
pi these savages carried their war raids, exacting tribute 
or exterminating their enemies, the latter lacking especial- 
ly discipline and the disposition to unite for common 
defense. 

The friendship which these Iroquois bore the Dutch 
and English was due in the first instance to Champlaln's 
encounter with the Mohawks at Lake Champlain in 1609, 
when the red warriors of the federation were defeated by 
their ancient enemies the Algonquins, aided principally by 
the muskets of Champlain and his two white companions. 
To this encounter may be traced the long history of 
border warfare which held back French settlement along 
the Great Lakes, and enabled the English colonists to 
expand and accumulate power behind the narrow barrier 
of Iroquois until at last the British wrested control of the 
"Great River" and Its settlements from France. 

( 9 ) 



The Missionary Explorers 

From the time of Champlain's memorable journey 
across the headwaters of the St. Lawrence in 1615 until 
1653 no white man recorded any impressions of the 
scenery of the Thousand Islands, though it is probable 
that venturesome French traders unknown to history were 
carried by Indian friends up through the waters of the 
"Great River." The first man to write of those Impres- 
sions was Pere Poncet, a Jesuit missionary, who had 
escaped from captivity among the Mohawks and in 1653 
reached the shores of Ontario, where his Indian guides 
fabricated a canoe and paddled him to Montreal and 
safety. The missionary's impressions were rather solemn 
ones, for the bold rocks and bluffs, the dark woods and 
shrubbery of the Islands seemed to him forbidding. 

In 1654 Father Simon le Moyne, another Jesuit, pad- 
dled up the St. Lawrence through the countless islands, 
along the esatern shores of Ontario, and through the 
Oswego river to the Onondaga country. Le Moyne was 
the white discoverer of the Onondaga salt springs, and 
told of the quality of salt obtained by boiling down the 
waters — equal to that obtained from sea water. Follow- 
ing these men came Father Chaumonot and Father Dablon 
in 1655, and In 1656 Joseph Lamercler, followed by 
Father Paul Ragueneau in 1657. In 1658 the Indians 
plotted the murder of the French missionaries, but the 
latter discovered the plot In time to escape from the 

( 10 ) 



savages on March 20 of that year. They found the 
entrance to the St. Lawrence still frozen, but chopped 
their way through the obstruction and landed at Montreal 
on April 3. In 1661 the zealous missionary Le Moyne 
again paddled up the St. Lawrence and Ontario, through 
a region infested with Mohawk war bands, to the camps 
of those Onondagas who had previously treated him with 
respect. 

For a decade the Iroquois increased the number of 
their war raids down the St. Lawrence, waylaying trading 
parties and camps of Canadian Indians and trappers. 

A great earthquake brought terror and confusion to the 
native and white inhabitants of the St. Lawrence region 
in 1663. First great tremors were felt in February, and 
the last diminishing ones in August. There were tre- 
mendous upheavals that changed hills and rivers, accord- 
ing to narratives of that period, but there are no compara- 
tive topographical records to show what changes followed 
the series of disturbances. 

The tide of French trading and exploration was 
stemmed by the frequent and continued raids of the 
Iroquois war bands, who descended the St. Lawrence or 
crossed the end of Ontario to the present site of Kingston, 
to paddle up the Cadaraqui river and waylay traders and 
trappers along the Ottawa river. The Iroquois had by 
this time obtained guns and powder from the Dutch at 

( II ) 



Albany, and had become experienced In the use of fire- 
arms. 

Governor Courcelles 

A new governor of Canada, Seigneur de Courcelles, 
with the able assistance of Marquis de Tracy, organized 
counter attacks upon the Mohawk raiders In 1665-66, 
and peace negotiations were entered Into, resulting In the 
French traders resuming their adventurous traffic up the 
river through the Island country and beyond toward the 
west. La Salle's first voyage up the St. Lawrence, 
through the Thousand Islands and on to the western lakes 
and rivers was made at this time. Through La Salle, 
Marquette, Jollet, Du Luth, Cadillac and others, whose 
names are perpetuated In the geography of the middle 
west, France was to gain the vast Inland territories of 
North America. 

Governor Courcelles, In 1671, made the journey from 
Montreal to Ontario, entering the lake on June 12. Here 
on one of the eastern bays (undoubtedly Chaumont, 
Henderson or Black River Bay) he met a band of 
Iroquois hunters and fishermen, who had been told of the 
governor's coming by the missionary Le Moyne, sent on 
in advance. Besides the canoes of his white and red 
attendants Governor Courcelles had brought along a flat- 
bottomed galley of two or three tons, with which to 
impress the Indians. Courcelles was able to appreciate 
the advice offered by the French intendant, Jean Baptiste 

( 12 ) 



Talon, that two posts should be located on the eastern 
end of the lake, one on the north and another on the 
south shore. This was the first official action taken 
toward a settlement on the upper reaches of the St. Law- 
rence, but it remained for the next governor to carry out 
only a part of the plan. 

A description of navigation on the St. Lawrence and 
Ontario contained in an account of Courcelle's expedi- 
tion is of interest to present-day visitors to the Islands who 
have experienced some of the difficulties of navigation in 
the rapids and swift waters between Ogdensburg and. 
Montreal : 

"When the mouth of the Great Lake is reached, the 
navigation is easy, when the waters are tranquil, becom- 
ing insensibly wider at first, then about two-thirds, next 
one-half, and finally out of sight of land, especially after 
one has passed an infinity of little islands which are at the 
entrance of the lake in such great numbers, and in such a 
variety, that the most experienced Iroquois pilots some- 
times lose themselves there, and have considerable diffi- 
culty in distinguishing the course to be steered in the con- 
fusion, and as it were in the labyrinth formed by the 
islands. Some of these are only huge rocks rising out of 
the water, covered merely by moss or a few spruce or 
other stunted wood, whose roots spring from the clefts of 
the rocks which can supply no other element or moisture 
to these barren trees than what the rains furnish them. 
( 13 ) 



After leaving this abode the lake is discovered appearing 
like unto a sea without' islands or bounds, w^here barks 
and ships can sail in all safety so that the communications 
would be easy between all the French colonies that could 
be established on the borders of this great lake which is 
more than a hundred leagues long, by thirty or forty 
wide." 

Count de Frontenac 

Count de Frontenac succeeded Courcelles when the 
latter's ill health caused retirement in 1672, and in 1673 
the new governor decided to visit the head of the great 
river with an imposing array of military. He left 
Montreal on June 3, with one hundred twenty canoes and 
two flatboats, carrying about four hundred men. Guides 
sent by La Salle conducted the expedition to the present 
site of Kingston, or Cadaraqui as the Indians sometimes 
called it. Frontenac explored the bays and shores of the 
eastern end of Ontario, and held a great conference with 
the Iroquois warriors and chieftans, impressing upon them 
the might of France and the necessity for keeping peace. 
On July 13 a fort was laid out by the engineer Raudin, 
and when completed was left In command of La Salle. 

Governor Frontenac named his fort "Frontenac" and 
also gave his name to the lake, but the latter name did 
not remain long with early mapmakers. La Salle's 
energy and foresight brought an increasing trade to the 
fort, and a growing white settlement around It. Friendly 

( 14 ) 



Indians made permanent camp nearby, and the St. Law- 
rence river bore a great traffic in furs and the innumer- 
able articles of barter carried by the traders. 

La Salle was created a noble by the King of France In 
1675, and was given seignorial rights over Fort Frontenac 
and the nearby islands, as well as a monopoly of the hunt- 
ing and fishing on Ontario and its rivers. La Salle's 
reports tell of the vast number of otter, bear, moose, elk 
and other game found in the woods and islands, as well 
as whitefish, salmon and trout of lakes and streams. 

One of the early historians or descriptive writers was 
Louis Hennepin, a member of the Reccolet order, who 
was stationed at Fort Frontenac for missionary work 
among the Indians. He visited the tribes from the 
Ottawa to Niagara and the Mississippi country, and 
ventured inland to the south and east of Lake Ontario to 
the villages of the Oneidas and Mohawks during the 
winter of 1677. From the latter journey he returned by 
way of the Black river to Ontario and Fort Frontenac. 
His book of travels with its quaint illustrations is of 
interest to those who delve in early history of North 
America. 

Governor de la Barre 

In 1682 a new governor was appointed to succeed 
Frontenac, who was recalled to France. At this time 
La Salle was absent in the west where he had made ex- 

( 15 ) 



tensive explorations. The post at Frontenac was not 
profitable, though trade was extensive, and the new 
governor, Marquis de la Barre, seized the post and 
seignorial rights which he declared La Salle had forfeited 
by not maintaining an adequate fort. Two years later in 
1684 La Barre was compelled to collect a force of eight 
hundred whites and two hundred Indians for an expedi- 
tion to the south shore of Ontario. This great array of 
soldiers, militia, traders and coureurs de bois may have 
presented an imposing spectacle as it wound through the 
channels of the Thousand Islands, but at the La Famine 
bay conference on the south shore of Ontario it was deplet- 
ed and discouraged by fever and loss of provisions due to 
dampness. The result of this conference, which was 
arranged to make a formidable impression upon the 
savages, was an inglorious peace with the Iroquois, who 
had been waging a successful war with the western allies 
of the French, the Illinois. 

Denonvilles Expedition 

A new governor, Denonville, succeeded the unfortunate 
La Barre, who had previously won military laurels in the 
service of France in the Indies. In 1687 another mili- 
tary expedition came up the river from Montreal to Fort 
Frontenac. On July 4 the expedition of some sixteen or 
seventeen hundred men in forty batteaux and many canoes 
crossed the end of Ontario as far as the island "des 
Galots" and on the 6th reached La Famine, scene of La 

( 16 ) 



Barre's humiliating experience. Denonville completely 
circled the lake with his forces and restored somewhat the 
prestige of France. Owing to the seizure of Iroquois 
warriors at Frontenac, and to intrigue on the part of an 
Indian ally of the French, Chief Kondiaronk of the 
Dinondadies of Michillimacinac, as well as the encourage- 
ment given the Iroquois by the English governor of New 
York, Jacob Leisler, the border warfare was renewed to 
such an extent that Fort Frontenac was invested, and this 
post as well as the French post at Niagara were abandon- 
ed in 1688 by the delepted garrisons. Again the Iroquois 
had wrested control of the upper St. Lawrence, the high- 
way to the west, from France and the savages continued 
their raids to the outlying farmlands at Montreal, burn- 
ing and slaying and taking hundreds into captivity. 

Frontenac Recalled 

Frontenac was now called upon by the French King to 
resume the governorship of the hard-pressed colony, and 
the sturdy old Count soon undertook to restore anil 
protect the former trade routes. In 1695 he sent up the 
St. Lawrence a strong force to rebuild and garrison Fort 
Frontenac, and in July 1696 the great military expedi- 
tion of two thousand men embarked for the journey up 
the river. The soldiers and their Indian allies, the latter 
commanded by the scout Mantet, remained at Frontenac 
from the 18th to the 20th of July, and then re-embarked 
for an invasion of the Iroquois lands. Camp was made 

( 17 ) 



over night at Grenadier Island on the eastern shore of 
Ontario, and on July 28 the force proceeded up the 
Oswego river. The Onondagas and Oneidas were com- 
pelled to make peace, and the expedition returned com- 
pletely successful after three weeks of arduous efforts. 

The St. Lawrence outposts were made secure to the 
French for over sixty years, with the result that trade 
and settlements on the lower river increased and prosper- 
ed. The new lands about the Great Lakes to the wTst- 
ward were sought out by soldier-explorers, traders and 
missionaries and the foundations laid for a great empire. 
Fort Frontenac remained in possession of the French until 
wrested from them by the English in 1758, during those 
last few years of border warfare which gave Britain 
dominion over the vast northern territories of New 
France. 

The English on Lake Ontario 

A formidable step in the rivalry for trade and power 
between the two conflicting forces along the St. Lawrence 
and the Great Lakes was the establishment by Governor 
Burnet of the Province of New York of a fort at the 
mouth of the Oswego river in 1727. The English had 
maintained a trading post at this old Iroquois camp site, 
Swa-geh, for five or six years previous to the establish- 
ment of a fort, and when the latter was built the 
French governor, Marquis de Beauharnois, made vigorous 
objection. An agent of the French governor known as 

( 18 ) 



Chevalier Begon was ordered to proceed to Oswego and 
demand the surrender of this post situated on lands 
claimed by the northern colonj^ Begon held a great 
parley with representatives of the Onondagas and Oneidas 
on "Galots" island in Lake Ontario, previous to his visit 
to Oswego, and these Indians agreed to demand the ex- 
clusion of the English from their lands. They failed to 
make any such demand, and Begon's mission to Oswego 
brought no response from the English. 

For thirty years down to 1755 there was peace along 
the northern frontier, and both French and English trade 
and settlements grew and prospered. There was keen 
rivalry for barter and influence with the Indian tribes of 
the border waters and the great forest country of the 
central west. The French built a few small armed craft 
at Fort Frontenac for trading and courier services, and the 
English constructed similar craft at Oswego. 

La Presentation 

Another trading post and mission center was established 
by the French on the south side of the St. Lawrence in 
1749 at the mouth of the Oswegatchie, called La Pre- 
sentation, where the city of Ogdensburg now stands. A 
Sulpician father, Francis Picquct, was given charge of the 
mission, having under his care a number of Indians of the 
Iroquois who had decided to settle along the St. Law- 
rence under the friendly guidance of the French, who 
were anxious to gain recruits from these fierce allies of 

( 19 ) 



the English. A storehouse and small fort were erected, 
but were destroyed within the year by a war party of 
Mohawks, who also burned two craft moored before the 
post. Soldiers were thereupon sent to the post by the 
French, and the Indian settlement grew steadily, to the 
annoyance and displeasure of English officials and colon- 
ists of New York. A protest was made before the con- 
gress of English colonists at Albany in 1754, because the 
position was recognized as of decided strategic value in 
the long-threatened conflict, which broke out in 1755. La 
Presentation was an outfitting station and information 
center during the following years of border warfare, and 
many raids w^re planned upon the frontier stations and 
settlements of the English as far south as Pennsylvania 
and Virginia. 

The War of 1755-60 

Upon the renewal of hostilities in 1755 the St. Law- 
rence became a great highway for military activity upon 
the part of the French. The forts at Frontenac and 
Niagara were strengthened, and Governor Vaudreuil 
made active preparations for carrying the war into the 
enemy's terrltorj^ In August a detachment of military 
proceeding up the St. Lawrence met a body of Indians 
among the Islands, with scalps taken at the defeat of the 
English General Braddock at Fort Du Quesne. This 
news brought additional Indian reenforcements to the 
side of the French. 

( 20 ) 



Early in the following spring as soon as ice was out of 
the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario the French estab- 
lished a fortified camp on the south side of the lake, at the 
present end of Six Town Point, guarding the waters of 
"Nioure Bay" and the shores and portage to Stony Creek, 
from the present Henderson Bay. The camp was in 
charge of Captain de Villiers, and was named "Camp 
rObservation," for the use of scouting parties and to 
watch the passages along the eastern end of Lake Ontario. 
An English scouting expedition encamped on the "He aux 
Galots" a few miles out in the lake was surprised by 
Indians from the French camp, and a number killed or 
captured, a few regaining their sloop which carried them 
to safety at Oswego. Later in 1756 occurred the first 
naval battle on the Great Lakes, when two French vessels 
attacked three English sloops in the vicinity of the Ducks 
islands, in Ontario, putting two of the English craft to 
flight and capturing the third sloop with fourteen men 
aboard. 

The Marquis de Montcalm had arrived from France 
to take command of the French forces, and in May, 1756, 
a force of thirteen hundred regulars, fifteen hundred 
colonials and two hundred and fifty Indians proceeded up 
the St. Lawrence to Fort Frontenac. Earlier in the year 
before the snow had left Lieutenant de Lery, a Canadian 
militia officer, had led an expedition on snowshoes from 
La Presentation, at the mouth of the Oswegatchie, against 
Fort Bull near the present city of Rome, N. Y. His 

( 21 ) 



force of two hundred and fifty Canadians and a hundred 
Indians compelled the surrender of the fort. De Lery 
destroyed the stores at the fort and returned with thirty 
prisoners along the south and west banks of Black River 
to Ontario, and was ferried across to the north shore of 
Black River by French batteaux on a scouting expedition 
from Frontenac. This must have been one of those 
"record" years for an early break-up of ice in the lake 
and bays. De Lery's force marched through the unbroken 
forest to the St. Lawrence and down the shore to La Pre- 
sentation. 

Fall of Oswego 

On August 5, 1756, Montcalm's main force left Fort 
Frontenac for the attack on Oswego. His regular troops 
were the three regiments of Guyenne, Beam and La Sarre, 
the latter having been sent on ahead July 29 to camp 
de rObservation. Montclam's forces remained two days 
on Galoup Island because of storms, and on August 8 
arrived at the camp located on "Nioure Bay," as the 
waters of Black River Bay and Henderson Bay were then 
termed on the uncertain charts of the period. On the 9th 
the troops proceeded overland to Stony Creek, and along 
the sandy shore of Ontario toward Oswego which they 
reached on August 12. After a few days of selge the 
English commander. Colonel Mercer, surrendered the 
older Fort Ontario on the east side of Oswego River, the 
newer position. Fort Pepperell, on the west side having 

( 22 ) 



been abandoned on the approach of the French. Over 
two thousand men, with all of their arms, cannon and 
military stores were taken back by way of Camp de TOb- 
servation to Fort Frontenac and carried down the St. 
Lawrence to Montreal, the prisoners later being ex- 
changed. The French did not attempt to garrison 
Oswego, but razed the fortifications, and sent all avail- 
able troops down the river to Montreal for operations 
later in the same year around Lake Champlain. 

Destruction of Fort Frontenac 

The tide of French fortune began to ebb when the 
English took the offensive on Lake Ontario in 1758. 
General Bradstreet assembled at Oswego a force of about 
thirty-five hundred men, and in August set out along the 
lake shore for Fort Frontenac. On August 26 Indian 
scouts from Frontenac discovered the English at Hender- 
son Bay, and on the next day Bradstreet's forces appeared 
before the fort, which surrendered readily, having a garri- 
son of but some fifty men. The English secured large 
quantities of military supplies and naval stores, including 
seven vessels. Five of the boats were burned and two 
retained to help carry back the booty, which included 
cannon captured from General Braddock by the French. 
The forces of General Bradstreet returned to the shores 
of Henderson Bay and remained there several days so as 
to avoid French reenforcements en route up the river to 
Frontenac. The latter forces retired when they learned 

{ 23 ) 



of the surrender and destruction of Fort Frontenac, 
whereupon the English returned to Oswego and greatly 
strengthened its fortifications. Oswego remained in 
British possession until June, 1796, when it was turned 
over to the United States under treaty. 

In 1759 the French had withdrawn to La Preseatation 
and Fort Levis, on an island nearby, as fortified outposts 
to guard the upper river. Small scouting camps were 
located on Galloup Island, Grenadier Island in Ontario, 
and near the present site of Cape Vincent, and from these 
points the Indians and colonial scouts of the French kept 
watch upon English frontier operations. 

General Amherst's River Expedition 

In September of 1759 Quebec fell before the English 
and colonials, who had also captured Niagara, Ticonder- 
oga and Crow^n Point. Of the vast highway to the west, 
the French held only that part of the St. Lawrence be- 
tween Montreal and the Thousand Islands, and this they 
held under hopeless struggle for a year. In 1760 the 
English made plans for the capture of Montreal, despatch- 
ing three expeditions for the purpose, one from Quebec, 
another by way of Lake Champlain, and the largest from 
Oswego through Ontario and the St. Lawrence. General 
Jeffrey Amherst was placed in command of the expedi- 
tion outfitted at Oswego, which numbered some ten thou- 
sand regular and colonial forces and seven hundred 
Indians under Sir William Johnson, the great Commis- 

( 24 ) 



sioner to the Iroquois nations. Colonel Sir Frederick 
Haldimand led a small force ahead of the main detach- 
ment, but found that enemy outposts had been withdrawn 
to La Presentation and Fort Levis. The first troops 
embarked on the vessels Mohawk and Onondaga August 
7, 1760, and the main forces in 177 batteaux and 72 
ivhaleboats had all embarked by the 13th, encamping the 
night of the 13th or 14th on Grenadier Island beyond the 
head of the St. Lawrence river. The first sailing vessels, 
while pursuing a French batteau discovered at Buck 
(Carleton) Island, became lost in the maze of channels 
of the middle islands, and arrived at the new French ship- 
yard at Point Baril, near the site of the village- of Mait- 
land, after the great fleet of small boats had swept down 
through the river and landed near La Presentation to 
prepare for the attack on Fort Levis. This fortified posi- 
tion was on an island sometimes called He Royale, or by 
its Indian name Oraconenton, and completely commanded 
the St. Lawrence. The fortifications were laid out in 
1759 hy Chevalier de Levis, completed by Pouchot, 
French commander of the post, the next year, and con- 
sisted of an outer row or girdle of fallen trees, a water- 
filled ditch and sharpened stakes and an earth-banked 
parapet enclosing the gun mounts and quarters. 

The English soon reduced the fortification by the use of 
artillery, losing about twenty killed and as many wound- 
ed, while the defenders suffered a dozen killed and about 
forty wounded. The surrendered men were sent back 

( 25 ) 



on the long overland and water journey to New York, 
and Lord Amherst's expedition continued down the river. 
During the attack on Fort Levis the English burned a 
small church and trading outpost on Gallop island, below 
the fortificatioii a short distance, claiming that a scalp 
was found in the religious edifice. 

Canada Won For The English 

The last stronghold of French authority, Montreal, 
was invested by the three armies on September 7, 1760, 
and Governor Vaudreuil was compelled to make a formal 
surrender of his Canadian dominions. 

General Amherst's expedition returned up the St. Law- 
rence from the successful investment of Montreal in 
October, reaching the head of the Thousand Islands the 
2 1 St. Camp was made near Lake Ontario on the south 
side when a storm of rain and snow held the forces two 
days, and the men finally reached Oswego October 27, 
many of the troops marching overland and along the 
sandy beaches of Ontario because of the inclement 
weather. 

English soldiers now replaced the French throughout 
the long water route to the west, and English and colonial 
traders entered into the Indian fur traffic by way of the 
St. Lawrence, In competition with the older French asso- 
ciations. Great fur companies were organized, as well 
as land companies to Induce settlements, and extensive 

( 26 ) 



import houses to distribute the manufactured wares of 
England. The traffic in pelts increased along the upper 
river and through Lake Ontario, but the English made 
no attempts to establish strong forts or protected trading 
settlements along the Thousand Islands or at the site of 
Fort Frontenac. 

Carleton Island During The Revolution 

It was not until mutterings of the coming struggle of 
the American colonial revolution were heard along the 
border that the Island region resumed its strategic impor- 
tance. The English traders had established themselves 
in a small way at Buck or Deer Island, later named 
Carleton Island, a few miles below Cape Vincent, for 
traffic with the Indians, and the English in 1774-75 main- 
tained a few men for the transshipment of military and 
naval stores to the upper lake posts. It became a great 
gathering place for Island Indians and other tribesmen 
friendly to the English, and a retreat for Loyalists from 
the revolting colonies. 

Expeditions of scouts and raiding parties were assem- 
bled at the island, or at the "Great Camp" of the red 
allies on the mainland nearby, and from here the Indians, 
white woodsmen and regular troops of the British plunged 
into the woods or followed the lake shore to Salmon 
River or Oswego, then on to the frontier line of the 
colonists, the Mohawk river and the Susquehanna. The 
raiders from Carleton w^ere responsible for the slaughter 
( 2'/ ) 



and destruction of farm homes and settlements at Cherry 
Valley, Wyoming, the Cedars, Stony Arabia, and the sur- 
rounding country. 

In 1775 Colonel Guy Johnson, son-in-law and nephew 
of the famous old English commissioner to the Iroquois 
(who had died the previous year), stopped at Carleton on 
his way from Oswego down the St. Lawrence to Montreal 
with a band of Indian warriors and many Tories who had 
abandoned colonial New York upon the outbreak of the 
revolution. The younger Johnson had assembled a great 
conference of Indians at Oswego in May, 1775, and 
persuaded nearly all with the exception of the Oneidas 
and some Tuscaroras to espouse the cause of the English. 
He was assisted by the two Butlers, whose name becarne 
a curse among the outlying settlers of New York, and 
Johnson also persuaded the Mohawk Chief Thaj^endane- 
gea, called Joseph Brant, brother of old Sir William 
Johnson's Indian wife, MoUie Brant, to take up arms 
against the colonists. 

In 1776 Sir John Johnson, son and heir by his English 
wife of the late commissioner, also left his extensive lands 
and fine dwelling in the Mohawk country and fled to 
Canada with numerous retainers and settlers. In Canada 
he recruited the Royal New York Regiment, known as 
the "Royal Greens" or "Johnson Greens." With Johnson 
came a son-in-law of Sir William, Colonel Daniel Claus, 
who became an Indian commissioner in Canada for opera- 
tions along the New York frontier. 

( 28 ) 



When the plan of reducing the colony of New York 
was put into operation in 1777 bj- means of an expedition 
up through Lake Champlain from Montreal under 
General Burgoyne, with a second force working up the 
Hudson from New York and a third coming from the St. 
Lawrence and Ontario through the Mohawk valley, 
Carleton Island was chosen as the rendezvous for the 
Indians of the third contingent. Lt. Col. Barry St. 
Ledger was put in command of the St. Lawrence forces, 
and on July 8 the expedition was assembled at Carleton 
and at the big Indian camp on the mainland nearby. Col. 
John Butler came from Oswego to join the force, which 
proceeded by water to Henderson Bay and then along the 
old war trail, the sandy beaches, to Oswego. The follow- 
ing engagement at Oriskany prevented this force from 
carrying out its object, and the retreat was made through 
forest trails and rivers to Oswego, and thence back to 
Carleton and Montreal. The failure of this expedition 
contributed to the defeat of Burgoyne's army, which also 
failed to receive any aid from Sir Henry Clinton's army 
at New York. 

Fort Haldimand 

Carleton Island received its name in 1778 as the result 
of the reports of Lieutenants Twiss and Glennie and 
Captain Schank of the Navy, sent up the St. Lawrence 
by General Haldimand to report on the advisibility of 
strengthening the defenses of the upper river. After a 

( 29 ) 



complete inspection of La Presentation at Oswegatchie, 
Cadaraqugi (now Kingston) and "Buck or Deer Island" 
as it was called, the military men decided that the post at 
the latter place possessed superior merits for shipbuilding; 
cultivation of the land and ease of defense w^hen a suitable 
fort should be constructed. As the island's name had 
been confused often with the "Isle aux Chevreuil" of the 
French (Grenadier in Lake Ontario) Lieutenant Twiss 
suggested that the island be named Carleton in honor of 
the retired governor of Canada, and the fortification 
"Fort Haldim.and." General Haldimand gave his en- 
dorsement, and the island has since been known by that 
name. 

Governor Haldimand was familiar with the Thousand 
Islands as a result of his experiences there during the 
French war, and this accounts for his determination to 
make a strong post at Carleton. 

The fort on the bluff was continually strengthened 
throughout the years of the Revolution, and the shipyard 
on the point below the fort was a scene of continuous 
activity. Carleton became the chief storehouse and point 
of transshipment for supplies going to Oswego, Niagara 
and Detroit. .A number of armed sailing vessels a§ well 
as numerous batteaux and scows were constructed for the 
use of the military forces, and both military and naval 
detachments of artificers were continually employed until 
the order was received from General Haldimand to cease 

( 30 ) 



construction work in the spring of 1783, when news 
reached Canada of the peace negotiations of November, 
1782. 

The point of land extending westward from the fort 
was known as "Government Point" and was restricted to 
use for quarters and storehouses. The commander of the 
post was not permitted to honor ''patents" for grants of 
land to individuals on the point, as was done on the main 
body of the island. The "King's Garden," a tract of 
twenty or thirty acres first cleared and planted, is still 
pointed out on the south side of the island. 

From Carleton Island the English sent their scouting 
parties to the Mohawk country and watched the moves of 
the Continental forces at Fort Stanwix, Schenectady, 
Fort Hunter and elsewhere in central New York. The 
Indians assembled in large numbers to draw supplies and 
presents and to receive instructions and rewards for raids 
upon the settlers. At no time was the post in danger of 
attack, though the efforts of the commanders to strengthen 
the fortifications were made with that eventuality in view. 
Traders bound up or down the Great Lakes and St. Law- 
rence tarried a while under the sheltering protection of 
Fort Haldimand, and bartered powder, shot, rum, knives, 
beads and blankets for the furs of the Indians. The com- 
mander of the post complained that when the traders 
were operating too freely the Indians failed to bring in 
fresh venison for exchange at the post, preferring to barter 
at the nearest source of desired supplies. 

( 31 ) 



Kingston Established 

Carleton Island and Fort Haldimand remained in the 
possession of the English, owing to uncertainty about the 
boundary lands and waters, until the outbreak of the war 
of 1812. In 1788 a new survey of Carleton and Kings- 
ton was made by Captain Mann for the British, to decide 
which was the better station for the King's ships and pro- 
tection of lake navigation. Kingston was decided upon, 
and construction work started at that port, with the result 
that in 1789 all of the stores with the exception of a few 
cannon were removed to the north mainland. In 1793 
there were still nineteen guns at Fort Haldimand and a 
few soldiers to prevent the burning of wooden quarters 
and storehouses by Indians, or encroachment by Ameri- 
cans. The guns were taken in that year to Toronto. 

The port of Kingston grew steadily with the develop- 
ment of lake navigation and the settlement of the sur- 
rounding country by emigrants from the British islands as 
well as large numbers of Loyalists w^ho had abandoned 
the American colonies, now free states, and were allotted 
as compensation tracts of the forest lands along the St. 
Lawrence and Bay of Quinte. In 1799 Kingston posses- 
sed a large barracks, a hospital, storehouses and a church. 
The remains of old Fort Frontenac were still visible. 
Kingston became the storehouse for military and civilian 
supplies destined for the forts and settlements of the west, 
where new towns were being laid out and great reaches of 

( 32 ) 



the forest lands were being cleared by the hardy pioneers. 
Many vessels were constructed in the shipyard established 
by the naval officers, while civilians also entered into the 
task of providing shipping for the increasing traffic on 
Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. 

In 1808 a formal demand for the surrender of Carleton 
Island was made by Agustus Sacket, collector of Sackets 
Harbor, and by Lieut. T. Cross of the same place, com- 
manding a detachment assigned to the duty of guardin;^ 
some point on the river. The request was refused by 
Major McKenzie of Kingston, who added six men to the 
post previously occupied by a corporal and three men. In 
June of 1812 after news of the formal declaration of war 
was received along the northern border a small force of 
volunteers from Millen's bay, on the American shore 
nearby, surprised the garrison of three men and two wo- 
men, captured the fort and burned all of the wooden 
buildings. It was never after used as a fortified post. 
Some of the stone chimneys of the quarters in the fort on 
the bluff are still standing, much battered by winds and 
storms of a century. 

The Border in 1812-14 

The troublesome years of of the conflict from 1812 to 
1 81 4 were a time of trial and anxiety along the Island 
region. Settlers were in continual fear of raids by enemy 
bands, and Indians still lurked in the wood§ throughout 

( 33 ) 



the border country and among the Islands, ready to 
plunder whenever the opportunity offered. 

Kingston had become the trading center for both shores 
of the St. Lawrence, where the ashes of forest clearings 
as well as grain and produce were exchanged for manu- 
factured goods. Montreal and Quebec were the great 
markets for logs and lumber cleared from the banks of 
the St. Lawrence and its tributary streams — a trade which 
had grown to large proportions, especially on the Ameri- 
can side where Macomb's great purchase of 1791 in 
northern New York was gradually being parcelled out to 
land companies and settlers, but where there was much 
valuable timber land easy of access without sufficient 
guardians. 

On the upper river about two miles below the present 
site of the village of Cape Vincent a settlement called 
Port Putnam had been established following the clearing 
made in 1801 by Abijah Putnam. This small settlement 
did not flourish, and was abandoned in favor of the Port 
of Cape Vincent established by the great French land- 
owner, James de Le Ray, who had a small clearing made 
at Gravelly Point in 181 1, and also a dock, house and 
tavern. These were soon followed by stores and dwellings 
until a considerable settlement, with a customs officer, 
was formed by the year 181 2. The port was named Cape 
Vincent after James de Le Ray's son, Vincent, who re- 
mained as agent in northern New York many years 

( 34 ) 



while the lands purchased by his father were being settled, 
and where so many friends of Napoleon and his brother 
Joseph Bonaparte gathered during the latter's years of 
exile in Northern New York. 

Because of the American embargo law of 1808 the trade 
between individuals and traders in the settlements across 
the border waters was restricted to a considerable extent 
until the outbreak of hostilities in 1812, and then for 
three years traffic up and down the Island reaches of the 
St. Lawrence was limited to the movement of military 
and naval supplies and men, with occasional smuggling 
operations to and from the settlements at Kingston, Cape 
Vincent, Gananoque, Brockville, Prescott and Ogdens- 
burg. 

On Kingston w^as based the fleet of Sir James Yeo, and 
at Sackets Harbor was the flotilla commanded by Com- 
modore Chauncey, both of which did considerable cruising 
up and down the lake but never engaged in any action of 
a decisive nature. The British fleet made a short bom- 
bardment of the entrenchments at Sackets Harbor in July 
1812, and again in 181 3 covered the landing of troops on 
May 29 which resulted in the "Battle of Sackets Harbor," 
in which both sides retreated after the loss of important 
officers. The American fleet in November of 18 12 made 
an attack on the British vessel Royal George and the land 
batteries of Kingston, and then withdrew. 

( 35 ) 



At French Creek and Bartletts Point, now Clayton, 
was fought another small engagement between British 
military and naval forces and part of the ill-fated expedi- 
tion of the American General Wilkinson which met 
disaster on Chryslers field in Canada. General Brown 
of Brownville, Jefferson County, N. Y., commanded the 
battery at Bartletts Point, and the naval attack was 
repelled. Raids were made and prisoners and supplies 
captured on the American side at Cape Vincent, at Og- 
densburg, the Britton Tavern near Linda Island below 
Cape Vincent ; on the Canadian side, Brockville, Ganan- 
oque, Prescott, and throughout the Island region. Many 
people of the larger settlements along the river moved to 
the Interior. However, there was never the ferocity of the 
Indian raids of the Revolutionary period, and settlers 
continued to take up land along the St. Lawrence 
throughout these years of conflict. 

The Peace of a Century 

The conclusion of peace in the latter part of 1814 
brought military operations to a close, and the naval 
equipment at both Kingston and Sackets Harbor ship- 
yards fell into disuse and decay. A treaty was entered 
into limiting the armament of craft on either side of the 
Great Lakes, which has resulted In quieting suspicion and 
has helped to maintain that peace of a century during 
which industry and civilization have brought prosperity 
and friendly sentiments along the northern border lands. 

( 36 ) 



The only serious disturbances along the river since the 
days of 1812-14 were those of the so-called "Patriot War" 
in 1838, when conspirators on both sides of the border 
attempted an armed revolution and invasion, to free 
Canada and organize a republic. The venture lacked 
popular support, and was quelled at the "Battle of the 
Windmill," near Prescott, after which a number of con- 
spirators including men from the American side were tried 
by court martial and sentenced to death. Some of the rebels 
were banished to Van Dieman's Land, from which a few 
returned in after years to their northern homes. 

The Summer Playground 

From the earliest days of settlement along the Thou- 
sand Island region of the St. Lawrence there was a keen 
appreciation of the natural beauties of scenery and abun- 
dance of fishing and hunting in the innumerable blue- 
water channels and bays. In the 40's and 50's of the 
past century there began that steady stream of enthu- 
siasts to the Islands for summer and fall weeks. As rail- 
road facilities increased and steamboat traffic through the 
Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence brought increasing 
trade and growth of population, there was a correspond- 
ing increase in the number of people who made yearly 
pilgrimages for health and recreation to northern border 
waters. The early builders and statesmen of Canada as 
well as governors, senators, presidents and legislators of 
the United States seemed to have a marked preference for 

( 37 ) 



the wholesome sport and vigorous atmosphere of the 
Island region, or perhaps the fact that these men were 
frequent visitors was of more note in the correspondence 
and newspaper reports of the middle decades of the nine- 
teenth century. It was during these years that fishing 
and hunting camps were first built along the American 
Islands, for the Canadian government retained title to 
most of the land within its border vv^aters, and still retains 
much of it. In succeeding years the tide of summer 
traffic swelled steadily, and parks and cottages, hotels and 
palatial "camps" increased until the name "Venice of 
America" bore a fitting tribute. 

The Indians of the Islands 

■ All that remains of the great and little tribes and 
nations of Indians who hunted, fished and lived among the 
Thousand Islands — the last representatives of those 
warriors and trappers to come before the modern-day 
travelers on the St. Lavv^rence are the occasional peddlers 
of baskets and bead-decorated bags and moccasins from 
the St. Regis reservation below Ogdensburg, or perhaps 
from one of the northern reservations or Indian villages 
of Canada. Some students of Indian customs, habits and 
relics believe that a race closely akin to the Esquimaux 
once inhabited the St. Lawrence region, the supposed 
proof being found In fishing gear and implements occa- 
sionally excavated over a broad area. The Algonquin 
Indians of Canada ^had no traditions of an earlier race 

( 38 ) 



such as the Esquimaux, nor did the Iroquois Indians of 
New York. 

From the earliest experience of the French as well as 
stories and traditions told to explorers and traders of a 
later day it is evident that tribes or families or groups of 
the Iroquois were in possession of the river territory as 
far as Montreal, or Hochelaga, from some distant time 
down to the first visit of a Frenchman, Cartier, to that 
Indian settlement in 1534. Other Iroquois villages and 
summer camps were undoubtedly located along the St. 
Lawrence and Lake Ontario, especially in that section so 
famous for its hunting and fishing in the early days of 
white settlement — the lakes and bays and wooded lands 
between the south shore of the St. Lawrence and the 
Black River country in northern New York. 

The constant warfare between Algonquins of the north 
and west — the term Algonquin including all tribes of 
kindred tongue and customs in Canada — and the Iroquois 
federation to the south had finally concentrated the latter 
throughout the beautiful lake district of central New 
York. Here the Iroquois constructed their "long houses" 
for permanent abode and fortified the larger villages with 
imposing stockades of crossed tree trunks. Outside the 
villages were the areas of cultivated tobacco, maize, beans 
and pumpkins which enabled these Indians to subsist 
throughout the winter months, and sometimes- led to 
forays by the less provident savages of the north. Though 

( 39 ) 



their permanent homes were concentrated within a re- 
stricted area, the Iroquois hunted far and wide for beaver, 
deer, fish and scalps of their enemies. 

The People of the Long House 

That remarkable federation called themselves the "Ho- 
de-no-sau-nee" or "people of the long house," from the 
typical construction of their abodes. These were narrow 
houses containing many families, each with its own space 
and fire,. The houses were made of long rows of poles 
stuck in the ground and bent together to form the roof 
support, the whole being covered with bark to shed water 
and to keep out a great measure of the cold In winter. 
Apertures in the roof allowed the smoke to escape, and 
doorways at each end were covered with loose hides. 

By agreement their hunting grounds were divided by 
well-defined boundary lines within which the particular 
nation was soverign, subject to such agreements as might 
be made at the great yearly council fire in the country of 
the Onondagas. Northern New^ York, from the Mohawk 
river through the Adirondacks on the north and to the 
St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario on the west was set off 
by "lines of property" — to the Mohawk nation on the 
east and north, the Oneldas on the northwest, Including 
the present limits of the Thousand Islands, and the Onon- 
dagas in the central part, with a narrow strip running to 
eastern Lake Ontario. To the south and west extending 
to Lake Erie were the Cayugas, the Senecas, and later the 

( 40 ) 



Tuscaroras, a kindred people from the Carolinas admit- 
ted by treaty in 17 15. 

The northern Adirondacks were also claimed by 
Indians of the Canadian Algonquin family who originally 
came from the neighborhood of the Saguenay river. Their 
improvidence in failing to provide stores for winter use 
often led to the eating of bark and buds, which gained 
for them the name Adirondacks, "tree eaters," applied by 
the hardy and more intelligent Mohawks. This name 
early supplanted the old Iroquois designation "Couch- 
sach-ra-ge" for the great northern wilderness. 

The Iroquois were never subdued by Indian opponents, 
and only made peace with their Algonquin enemies when 
the power of the latter was used in cooperation with the 
mightier arm of the French. Whether their enemies 
were kindred peoples of the western lakes or Algonquins 
of the north and the Hudson River and New England 
villages, there was no mercy shown in warfare. The 
country of the Hurons north and east of the lake of that 
name was devastated in 1650, and the next year the 
Neutral Nation, living between the Hurons and the 
Niagara river, was destroyed by these relentless kinsmen. 
The Eries on the south side of Lake Erie were destroyed 
in 1652, and in 1672 the kindred people on the banks of 
the Susquehanna, the Andastes, were conquered and forced 
into humiliating tribute. 

Other war raids were carried through the country of 

( 41 ) 



the Illinois to the Mississippi, and eastward to the Main 
woods. The furious warriors of the Mohawk and 
Oneida nations nearly carried out their threat to extermi- 
nate their French and Algonquin opponents in those 
devastating raids to the very doorsteps of Montreal fol- 
lowing Governor Denonville's puntitive expedition around 
Lake Ontario in 1687, and the seizure of Iroquois war- 
riors at Fort Frontenac in 1688. 

In one of the communications received by Sir William 
Johnson, the Indian Commissioner of New York, in 1756 
from the OnonHagas complaint was made of encroachment 
by Pennsylvania forces on the south of the Federation, in 
the lands of tribes subdued by the Iroquois. The English 
were building forts there, and this caused the Onon- 
dagas to say that they did not understand the manner of 
warfare of the English. When the Iroquois went to 
war they exterminated their enemies, and that ended it, 
but the English built forts, seeming to desire possession of 
the land only. 

Throughout the French occupation of Canada the 
Thousand Islands were frequently visited by both Iroquois 
and Algonquin tribes, and scattered families of the latter 
undoubtedly remained hidden among the secluded retreats 
through all those years of conflict. When the English 
took over control of the river there was peace between 
the tribes, for the Iroquois were staunch allies of the 
new masters of Canada, and the English continued the 

( 42 ) 



policy of developing trade and friendship with Canadian 
tribes. 

The Mississaguas 

Between the years 1760 and 1783, the closing years 
respectively of the French war and the American revolu- 
tion, there was little attempt at settlement within the 
Island region, as traders at Buck Island (Carleton), old 
Frontenac (Kingston) and Oswegatchie (Ogdensburg) 
were interested in bartering for pelts rather than the less 
remunerative burdens of clearing and settling the country. 
The Indians of the Islands made permanent homes within 
those secluded haunts, and for two or three generations 
their descendants remained along the river — being known 
as the Mississaguas as far down the St. Lawrence as 
Prescott. Below that point the islands were claimed by 
the St. Regis Indians. 

The Indians of the islands may have been of Iroquois 
or Algonquin extraction, or perhaps a mixture, for the 
earlier settlers along the shores differed in their recollec- 
tions. Fishing and hunting were their means of gaining 
a living, and periodic migrations w^ere made to the island 
lakes and woods to the north of the St. Lawrence, or 
south and east toward the Lesser Wilderness and the 
Great Wilderness. The Indians called the Adirondack 
woods and mountains the Great Wilderness, and the 
region between Black River, the Lake Ontario shore and 
Oriedia Lake was the Lesser Wilderness, in which there 

.( 43 ) 



were vast tracts of virgin forests and fine hunting for 

deer, bear, elk, fox, beaver and other game even after 

white settlers had moved in and cleared farms and built 
settlements. 

These Indians were staunch supporters of the English 
during the wars of 1775-83 and 1812-14, but in the latter 
were used only to a very small extent. They continued 
upon the Islands until 1826, by which time the increased 
number of farms and villages and the operation of 
lumbermen and squatters had restricted their sources of 
food supply and revenue. Many of the Indians left for 
the northern w^oods of Canada, and the streams and bays 
of the lower reaches of the St. Lawrence, leaving but a 
few families of the once numerous Island Indians. These 
were persuaded to settle on an island in the upper Bay of 
Quinte, near Belleville, where they were taught farming 
under missionary guidance, and later were transferred to 
a large tract of land north of Coburg, Ontario. 

The Canadian government took over whatever title 
these MIssissaguas had in the Islands of the Canadian 
waters, and administered the revenue for the benefit of 
the Indians and their descendants. 

The various agencies of the Canadian government in 
which rested the administration of Canada's portion of 
the Thousand Islands withheld the larger number from 
private title. This accounts for the difference in appear- 
ance and use of the two sides of the river todav. Many 

( 44 ) . 



of the Canadian islands still possess the rugged charms 
which attracted the first voyageurs and early travelers, 
while on the American side the summer camps and cot- 
tages show the great popularity and development due to 
private ownership. In the interests of public health and 
recreation the Canadian government grants permission for 
temporary camps on its islands, and the privilege is made 
available to large numbers throughout the summer and 
fall months. 

The Painted Rock 

One of the old Indian land-marks often cited by writers 
and travelers was the painting on the riverside cliff to the 
east of Brockville. Many deductions have been drawn 
from it, but early legend made easy explanation. The 
painting represented roughly a canoe containing several 
Indians and two white men, the latter in postures indi- 
cating that they were falling out of the craft. Each year a 
group of Indians would appear and re-color the lines of 
the painting, with incidental wierd ceremonies under- 
standable to the Indians only. These visits continued 
long after the river shores were settled with farm homes 
and villages. 

According to legend, the occasion of this rude painting 
was an accident which befell some of Frontenac's Indians 
back in 1696, upon the return of the vigorous old gov- 
ernor's punative expedition into the country of the Onon- 
dagas in central New York. Among the prisoners taken 
( 45 ) 



were two Englishmen, who were being carried down the 
St. Lawrence in a canoe propelled by several Indians. 
Near Brockville a severe storm threatened the heavily 
ladened canoe, so the Indians threw overboard the two 
Englishmen to lighten the craft or as a sacrifice to the 
angry spirit of the storm. The sacrifice proved unaccep- 
table, for the Indians w^re all wrecked and drowned in 
the St. Lawrence near the great cliff. Other Indians of 
their tribe painted the picture commemorating the dis- 
aster, and apparantly continued for many generations to 
offer incantations and pleas to the angry spirit. 

The American Islands 

The earliest grants of title to the Thousand Islands 
were made under the French administration in 17 14, 
when they were conveyed as a "fief" to Sieurs Piot de 
Langlosierie and Peti|: who took the oath of fealty. When 
these men died half of the islands were granted to Louis 
Hertel and Sieur Lamarque, who married daughters of 
Langloisierie, and the other half to Eustace Dumont, who 
had also married a daughter of the original owner. One 
of the later claimants of part of the islands through pur- 
chase was William Claus, son of Colonel Daniel Claus, 
the latter known for his work among the Indian allies of 
the English during the Revolutionary period. The widow 
of William Claus, Catherine Claus, together with her 
four children, John Johnson Claus, Warren Claus, the 
widow Geale and her children and Catherine Anne Claus 

( 46 ) 



took the oath of fealty for one-fourth of the fief. This 
had come through purchase from Jacob Jordan, Simon 
Fraser and Louis de Chambly, v/hose title to half the fief 
was confirmed in 1781. One-fourth was held by Jouvier 
Dontail Lacroix, through gift to his father by Marie 
Anne Celeron, widow of Sieur Lamarque. 

Evidently the early French and English owners never 
made use of the lands conveyed, nor does it appear that 
the British government made compensation when half the 
islands were conveyed to the United States following the 
boundary survey begun in 181 7, and the Porter-Barclay 
treaty signed in 1822. 

This survey and agreement settled the title to the 
Thousand Islands, which had been in dispute and un- 
certainty ever since the close of the Revolution in 178.3, 
when the dividing line was set at the "main channel of 
the St. Lawrence." Though title to the islands could 
not be guaranteed, this was not sufficient impediment to 
settlers or timber operators. On the larger islands small 
farms were cleared and cultivated, after the timber had 
been made into staves or rafted down to the great ship- 
yards and lumber mills of Montreal and Quebec. One 
of the earliest of these men was William Wells, whose 
name was given to the large island known as Wellsley 
Island. About 1790 he began cutting timber which he 
converted into staves for the English market, and in the 
course of a number of years he and his men had cleared 
the best timber from a number of the islands. 

( 47 ) 



Carleton Island was similarly cleared at an early date, 
and the land cultivated by people who were anxious for a 
clear title from the American government. Around the 
shores of Carleton Island there were a great many 
"shanties" of the fishermen during the early years of the 
last century. 

After the larger islands and accessible lands along shore 
were cleared of the best timber, and following the advent 
of steam navigation, two points in the St. Lawrence 
became headquarters for making up rafts and squaring 
timber for Montreal and Quebec — the busy settlement at 
French Creek, later named Clayton, and Wolf Island. 
At the latter place there is a small cove near the foot, on 
the north side, where logs and poles may yet be seen in the 
depths of clear blue water. At Garden Island, opposite 
Kingston near Wolf, was another one of the later stations 
for shipwork and timber operations. 

The Indian Title 

Title to all the lands bordering upon the south shore of 
the St. Lawrence adjacent to the Thousand Islands came 
to the State of New York by treaty made with the 
Oneida Indians at Fort Stanwix in 1788. The Oneidas, 
who alone of the six nations of the Iroquois remained 
steadfast friends of the colonists during the Revolution, 
claimed title to all this territory under ancient agreement 
of the Indian federation, though it was common hunting 
ground for all the Iroquois. 

( 48 ) 



When the State of New York conveyed these lands to 
Alexander Macomb in 1791 the islands within the boun- 
dary waters were supposed to be included, with the ex- 
ception of Carleton. However, these islands were never 
conveyed until after the formal survey begun in 181 7, 
which attached the American islands to the adjacent 
townships. Colonel Elisha Camp, a prominent resident 
of Sackets Harbor, N. Y., then became owner, and trans- 
ferred his title to Yates & Mclntyre of New York city. 

In the early days of "tourist" fishermen Azariah 
Walton and Chesterfield Parsons of Alexandria Bay 
purchased the northern half of Wellsley Island from 
Yates & Mclntyre and also "all the islands in the Ameri- 
can waters from the foot of Round Island, at Clayton, to 
Morristown" for $3,000. This was in 1845. Mr. Walton, 
who was senior member of the firm Walton & Cornwall, 
later became sole owner of the islands, and when he died 
in 1853 Andrew Cornwall continued the business with 
John F. Walton as junior partner of Cornwall & Walton. 
This firm purchased from the estate of Azariah Walton 
all the islands owned by him and also nearly all of the 
remaining half of Wellsley Island, thus becoming owners 
of practically all the American islands. 

The firm cut fire wood for steamers on the most acces- 
sible islands, and soon after the Civil War of 1861-65 
they were able to realize a further profit in the sale of 
land to summer visitors. This was a course decided upon 

( 49 ) 



when coal began to supplant wood in river and lake navi- 
gation about i860. In 1877 both Cornwall and Walton 
retired and the firm of Cornw^all Brothers was formed to 
continue the real estate projects and general trading of 
the founders. 

Early Tourists 

Among the early visitors to the St. Lawrence for fish- 
ing and hunting were Martin Van Buren and Silas 
Wright, the one a president of the United States and the 
other a senator and governor of New York. Other men 
who frequented the river in the 40's and 50's were Wil- 
liam L. Marcy, William H. Seward, Thomas G. Alvord, 
lieutenant-governor of New York, and a genial crowd of 
political notables who listened to the stories of Azariah 
Walton, or gathered under the hospitable roof of Charles 
Grossman's tavern. The latter succeeded to the business 
of his father-in-law in 1848, and helped to spread the 
fame of the Thousand Islands as a resort for hunters, 
fishermen and seekers for healthful recreation in summer. 

Among the later presidents who fished at the Thousand 
Islands were Grant, Arthur, Cleveland and Roosevelt. 

President Monroe in 18 17 visited the St. Lawrence. 
He arrived in Ogdensburg August i, and was joined by 
General Jacob Brown and others and the party proceeded 
to Sackets Harbor where the barracks and fortress were 
inspected, and then the chief executive embarked on board 

( 50 ) 



the U. S. brig Jones and sailed over Lake Ontario to 
Niagara. 

Other men of note who traveled upon the river and 
remarked upon the beauty of the Thousand Islands were 
the authors, James Fenimore Cooper and Washington 
Irving, later Dr. Johan Kohl, the great traveler and 
scientist of Bremen, Benson J. Lossing, historical writer, 
the Prince of Wales and his imposing staff of military 
and civilian notables in i860, who visited the Canadian 
towns along the St. Lawrence and were given a rousing 
reception previous to the Prince's visit to the United 
States. 

Writers, scientists, statesmen, clergymen, diplomats, 
captains of Industry and other notables of later days 
came in numbers too numerous to mention, and carried 
away with them a keen appreciation of the natural beau- 
ties and healthful climate of the Islands, as well as its 
abundance of game fish and birds. 

Lost Channel 

If the present-day visitor to the Thousand Islands will 
venture into that maze of channels and small islands on 
the north of Wellsley Island, above Rockport, without 
the guidance of one familiar with the waters, he will have 
about the same experience as those puzzled English sailors 
and soldiers back In 1760 — the last year of the French 
war. When General Amherst's great flotilla of small 

( 51 ) 



boats was bound down the St. Lawrence from Oswego In 
August of that year the leading boats were two armed 
sail craft, the Onondaga and Mohawk. The lookouts 
discovered a batteau leaving Buck (Carleton) Island just 
before the English approached, and the latter immediately 
gave pursuit down the river, led by the Onondaga. 

The fleeing craft was able to keep clear, and soon 
crossed to the north side of the river, where the islands 
were more numerous and closely grouped. Here the 
English vessel was met by a hot fusilade of arrows and 
musketry from the wooded shores and rocky bluffs, but 
cleared away opposition by heavy gunfire. The wind 
lightened, and the lookout lost sight of the fleeing boat, 
nor was he able to discern a good channel. 

Captain Loring of the Onondaga gave orders to lower 
a boat and sent word back to the Mohawk not to ap- 
proach the dangerous rocks, uncertain channels and swift 
waters. Another small boat found a safe passage for the 
vessel, and anchor was dropped below the thickest of the 
islands. Here the Onondaga waited for Coxswain Terry 
and his crew, who had set out to find the Mohawk. 
Captain Loring's own narrative tells of the naming of 
this channel, as follows: 

"After some time, I ordered Ensign Barry to take the 
cutter and search for the coxswain and his crew. After 
some hours Ensign Barry returned. He had been bewild- 
ered among the numerous channels, not being able to 

( 52 ) 



even distinguish the channels through which the vessel had 
come, nor the one by which she entered the group of 
islands, nor had he discovered the first boat lowered. 
Ensign Barry called it "The River of the Lost Channel," 
and in that way was it ever after spoken of among the 
men. Thinking that coxswain Terry and his crew had 
boarded the Mohawk, and that they would return to 
us when we joined the fleet, I determined to sail as soon 
as the wind freshened." 

Captain Loring was unable to sail that day, August 14, 
and was compelled to wait because of contrary winds and 
narrow channels until the i8th, and the army before Fort 
Levis was reached on the 19th. Firing had been heard a 
short distance from the Onondaga, from which a lookout 
had discovered a French brig a few miles away, and 
under date of the 19th Captain Loring's journal said: 

"Reached the army today and reported to General 
Amherst. Coxswain Terry and his crew are undoubt- 
edly lost, as they did not board the Mohawk, but started 
to return to the Onondaga. The firing on the day be- 
fore yesterday was the attack on the French brig by our 
armed gallies under the command of Col. Williamson, 
who captured her after a severe engagement lasting two 
hours. It was a most gallant affair. The brig has been 
named the Williamson, after the gallant colonel. The 
fort is to be invested tomorrow." 

X 53 ) 



Thousand Island Park 

The southwesterly part of Wellsley Island has been 
known for nearly half a century as Thousand Island 
Park and the popularity of this beautiful resort owes its 
inception to the efforts of the late Rev. J. F. Dayan, then 
a retired Methodist minister, who sought to establish a 
development among the Islands comparable to Asbury 
Park, Ocean Grove and Chautauqua. 

It was recognized by this pioneer of the park that there 
was a demand among religious people for a place to spend 
their summers which would provide the benefits of change 
of scene, healthful location, accessibility, beauties of 
nature, and yet be free from the dissipations and excesses 
of frivolous people. Indeed, the thought of religion was 
first in the minds of the men who sponsored the move, 
and the numerous restrictions which were placed on the 
island such, for instance, as the non-stopping of the Island 
steamers at the dock on Sunday and the ban on amuse- 
ments, brought much criticism from other island visitors 
who felt that the Sabbath was a day of recreation as well 
as the other six days of the week, and that the operations 
of steam boats on Sundays meant a pleasant day for many 
whose holidays were restricted to the week end. 

However, there were enough who felt as did Parson 
Dayan and in a single day the original association sold 
$22,000 worth of lots. The magnificent Columbian 

( 54 ) 



hotel was built and for years was a mecca for tourists. 
Many conventions were held there, until fire wiped out 
this great hotel. 

During the recent years there has been a disposition on 
the part of many of the stockholders to change the policy 
of the association. The majority of the stock is owned 
by residents of Syracuse. Recent negotiations by Mor- 
mons, now known as Saints of the Latter Day Church of 
Christ, for a controlling interest in the association failed 
though the report caused considerable fear on the part of 
many of the minority stockholders that a colony of this 
western church would be established in this, the mother 
state of the Saints. 

Thousand Island park contains scores of cottages of 
families residing in all parts of the United States, and 
there is a strong community spirit, for some of the people 
have returned there year after year for a span of two 
generations. 



The Legend of Hiawatha 

To most students of Iroquois legends and Thousand 
Island history there has come a certainty that the St. 
Lawrence bore some part in the origin of that beautiful 
legend of Hiawatha. The poem of Longfellow placed 
Hiawatha in the west, but the poem does not give the 
( 55 ) 



legend in the strict interpretation of the Iroquois. Kindred 
tribes of the Five Nations living at the headv^aters of the 
Great Lakes preserved in a large measure the same tradi- 
tions as the distant Iroquois of central New York, tradi- 
tions told around the great council fires when the old 
wampum records were scanned to reveal ancient facts and 
treaties. 

The Thousand Island region may justly lay claim to 
the origin of this legend, which must have had some basis 
in fact. The scenery of the Islands corresponds to the 
Indian stories, which liken this region to Manatoana, the 
garden of the Great Spirit. Early recognition of this 
was made in the name of Calumet Island, opposite Clay- 
ton, which resembles the shape of the great peace pipe 
fashioned by Gitche Manito when he called for peace on 
earth. Afterward, when peace was broken and the beau- 
tiful garden with the peace pipe was gathered up by 
Gitche Manito, the mighty, into the vast blanket to be 
carried away from the recreant people, the blanket broke 
and the garden fell into the St. Lawrence, forming the 
Thousand Islands. 

The best rendering of the Iroquois version was made 
by Mr. J. V. Clark of Manlius, as related to him by 
Onondaga chiefs in 1843 and reported to the New York 
Historical Society. Mr. Clark's version is quoted by 
most writers of historical articles relating to hunting 
grounds and legends of the Iroquois and the early settle- 

( 56 ) 



merit of New York. It was generally accepted that 
Hiawatha came to live among the Onondagas, and was 
considered their w^isest counselor and ablest hunter. He 
was the legendary founder of the federation of Five 
Nations. 

The hero of Longfellow's poem is of the Algonquins, 
ancient enemies of the Iroquois. The poet used the name 
Hiawatha because of its cadence. His hero's real name 
was Manabozho, or Michabou, which means Great Hare. 
His geneology was thus rendered by Longfellow: 

Nakomis, swinging among the grape vines on the full 
moon, fell to the pararies of the earth. She bore a daughter 
named Wenonah, who was espoused of the west wind, 
Mudjekeewis: 

"Thus was born my Hiawatha, 
Thus was born the child of wonder." 

But this was, as admitted by the poet, fancy added to 
lore learned from the works of Schoolcraft, Catlin and 
others, including an Objibway chief who lectured in 
Boston in 1849. 

The legend as preserved by the Iroquois is as follows: 

In the dim vista of ages past the diety presiding over 
the streams which provided food for the peoples of the 
earth came to earth to visit its inhabitants, being commis- 
sioned by the greater diety, Ha-w^a-ne-u, to clear streams 
for passage and to find good things for his people. 

( 57 ) 



Ta-onu-ya-wat-ha was the lesser diety and he appeared 
as a speck over the waters to two 3'oung Onondaga braves, 
who were looking over the blue expanse of the waters of 
the Thousand Islands. The speck danced over the river, 
ever growing in size and ever approaching the mortals 
who watched with fear its approach. 

As it neared the shore it assumed the form of a vener- 
able Indian, seated in a pure white canoe propelled by the 
strong arm of the god. Silently he made his way to the 
shore and there he landed, making fast his canoe, then 
ascending a nearby hill on the summit of which he stood 
gazing in contemplation and approval of the vista spread 
before him. 

Then he came to the hunters and after inquiring of the 
difficulties of their state of life he disclosed his exalted 
character. He bade the men accompany him on this first 
"tour of the Islands," from which they ascended to the 
lesser lake country. He made the fishing and hunting 
grounds free to all, taught the men how to raise corn and 
beans, removed all obstructions from the navigable streams 
and became so enamoured of the world as reconstructed 
that he assumed the character and habits of a man — Hi-a- 
wat-ha, "very wise man." 

He called a council of the tribes when a hostile inva- 
sion of enemies was threatened, and urged the need of a 
league for common defense. The Indians immediately 
formed the federation of the Five Nations. Thereafter 

( 58 ) 



the great man arose and addressed the assembly as follows : 

"Friends and Brothers, I have now fulfilled my mission 
on earth; I have done everything which can be done at 
present for the good of this great people. Age, infirmity 
and distress sit heavily upon me. During my sojourn 
among you I have removed all obstructions from your 
streams. Canoes can now pass everywhere. I have 
given you good fishing waters and good hunting grounds ; 
I have taught you how to cultivate corn and beans, and 
have showed you the art of making cabins. Many other 
blessings I have liberally bestowed upon you. 

"Lastly, I have now assisted you to form an everlasting 
league and covenant of strength and friendship, for your 
future safety and protection. If you preserve it without 
the admission of other people you will always be free, 
numerous and mighty. If other nations are admitted to 
your councils, they will sow jealousies among you and you 
will become enslaved, few and feeble. 

"Remember these words ; they are the last you will 
hear from the lips of Hiawatha. Listen, my friends: the 
Great-Master-of-Breath calls me to go. I have patiently 
awaited His summons. I am ready. Farewell." 

Celestial voices in wonderful harmony sounded and the 

choirs of the Happy Hunting Grounds chanted the praises 

of the law giver and peacemaker, according to the legend. 

Then, w^hile eyes were turned heavenwards, Hiawatha, 

( 59 ) 



seated in his pure white canoe, was seen to rise, higher 
and higher to the vault of blue above, fading and fading 
from sight, going as he came, a speck of w^hite against 
the blue. 

Other Traditions 

One of the traditions having to do with the migration 
of the Iroquois from their northern homes along the 
lower St. Lawrence to central New York tells of the 
fued with the Algonquins. At that time the Iroquois 
were few in numbers, and lived largely through the peace- 
ful pursuits of agriculture, though somewhat under the 
dominance of the Algonquins who lived by hunting only. 
In a joint expedition of young braves of both peoples the 
Algonquins took the lead in the chase for several days, on 
the assumption that they were better hunters, and that 
the more peaceful Iroquois should do the menial work of 
skinning and preparing the game killed by the Algonquins. 
These latter met with no success, and the hunt was then 
in turn taken up by the young Iroquois, who brought in 
abundant game the first day for their Algonquin friends 
to skin and clean. This so angered the latter that in the 
night they murdered all the sleeping Iroquois. 

The feeling between the tribes burst into open warfare, 

and gradually the Iroquois retreated up the St. Lawrence 

and to their final homes in central New York. This 

slow and bitter retreat was prolonged through many gen- 

( 60 ) 



crations, until the warlike ferocity of the Iroquois became 
a menace to all surrounding peoples. 

Another story of mythical character gives a pretty 
picture of the birth of the Iroquois peoples. On the 
South Branch of Sandy Creek at the eastern end of Lake 
Ontario, where a small stream emptied into the larger one 
amid tall woods of aged pine and tumbled heaps of rock, 
a blast of the storm god burst open the ground, and from 
the opening came forth a man and woman. They built 
a hut and reared a family in this beautiful hunting 
ground, full of beaver and deer and elk, and the streams 
teeming with salmon. From this family sprang the great 
race of Iroquois, as recounted to the children of many 
generations in the Long Houses. 

In all the legends and mythical stories concerning the 
origin of these people the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario 
region figure prominently. The present day summer 
playground of the border was their ancient homeland. 



Refugees of Napoleon's Empire 

Among the points of interest at Cape Vincent is 
Restland, a summer home recently purchased by a Water- 
town resident from the descendants of Louis Peugnet, 
captain in the Emperor's body guard, who still wore in 
this country the cross of the Legion d' Honneur pinned on 
his breast by Napoleon Bonaparte. The home is located 

( 61 ) 



on the shore of the St. Lawrence and faces Wolfe Island. 
For a century it remained in possession of the Peugnet 
family, but the last owners of this line resided in St. 
Louis, so they were willing to dispose of a property that 
had family associations for five generations and historical 
associations dating to the overthrow of Napoleon. 

Louis Peugnet came to Cape Vincent in 1815, joining 
there a notable band of French exiles who had purchased 
land from the agency of Count James LeRay. There on 
the shores of the St. Lawrence it was proposed by some 
of the adventurous members of nobility and adherents of 
the Bonaparte regieme to establish another "New France," 
and it was near the Peugnet home that the Cup and 
Saucer House was built for Napoleon, who was in exile 
at St. Helena. But the plot came to naught, owing to 
the death of the ex-emperor, and the next generation 
sought nothing more exciting in political fortunes than 
the ofKces of overseer of roads, poundmasters, county 
supervisor, etc. 

The Peugnets became one of the substantial families of 
the town of Cape Vincent and numerous descendants of 
of the former captain of Napoleon's body guard now 
reside throughout that section. 

The Peugnet home was well built and, being modeled 
to French types, was artistic, a spot of loveliness in a 
wilderness country. To it came General LaFayette 
when he made a tour of the United States years after he 

( 62 ) 



had come to the rescue of Washington In the war of the 
Revolution. 

The owner has repaired and Improved the property and 
has rechrlstened It **Restland," a title which bears much 
truth, for there Louis Peugnet, and his brothers Hyacinthe 
and Theophllus, found quiet and happiness after witness- 
ing the collapse of their beloved empire. 

Joseph Bonaparte, exiled ex-kIng of Spain, Naples and 
Jerusalem, was a visitor there and the Peugnet brothers 
were wont to go to Natural Bridge In Jefferson County, 
where the brother of Napoleon and possessor of the triple 
titles maintained a forest court In regal splendor. 

Coaches in four made trips from one colony to another 
and the conventions of the capltols of Europe were main- 
tained in a wilderness. Furniture, silver, candelabra and 
clothing, all came from France, and the beautiful scenery 
of this section provided a rare setting for the spendors of 
Paris. 



The Island region claims one of the features of the 
Sahara — mirages. Due to the clearness of the atmosphere 
the city of Kingston has been mirrored In the skies and 
the great forts of the Canadian city have been seen from 
long distances, sometimes erect and sometimes Inverted, 
by residents of river towns. This phenomenon has also 
been observed at Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario. 

( 63 ) 







'^-''>"'' 



< /^ /? ^ A/ ° ^ ../*" .V 






£€K 



i-y 



4 /A^ ^- - \ 



GP/NDSTONi 

J ^Sff^ Mill 8f>y ***••» *'C^ '^ ^^.L. ^ 



*9oveit*K>K9. 




/-/ IA//Z> /^A/r^ r- 



THOLSfJND^^ISL ffNDS 



' KJD3 A, ffouffC 



BORT Rourrs. 




® A/o \r/t/^s 






Sc^/e of /^/ 



'//e^ 




^pOTO- CRfff^r , CoMf-^r^r Inc. \A/aT£RTOwN , N. Y 



liiMii 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

■■■ 

017 397 393 7i 



